Dental chair in combination with a horizontally adjustable stool

ABSTRACT

679,304. Dental &amp;c. chairs. MURRAY, R. O. June 21, 1951.. [June 27, 1950] No. 15995/50. Class 52 (ii). A stool or like seat for use with, or combined with, a dental or barber&#39;s chair comprises a stool G mounted on a pillar F forming part of a horizontal arm E pivoted on the end of another horizontal arm D&lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt; which is pivoted about a vertical axis adjacent to the dental chair, footrests also being provided. As shown the vertical pivot C of the arm D&#39; is carried by a bracket A&#39;, A&lt;SP&gt;2&lt;/SP&gt; secured to the base A of the chair and a foot plate J&lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt;, with which may be associated the usual switch for appropriately moving the chair into desired position, for one of the feet of the dentist &amp;c. is provided. A rest L&lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt; comprising a rail mounted on the chair or floor is provided for the dentist&#39;s other foot. The stool seat 9 is adjustable upon the pillar F and is provided with a clamp G&#39; for securing it in adjusted height. The arms E, D&lt;SP&gt;1&lt;/SP&gt; are preferably urged towards each other by a spring H.

Nov. 16, 1954 R. o. MURRAY 2,694,439

DENTAL CHAIR IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE STOOL Filed June 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 A may 5 Nov. 16, 1954 R. o. MURRAY 2,694,439

DENTAL CHAIR IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE STOOL Filed June 25, 1951 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Rmmw o. MURRAY Attorney S Nov. 16, 1954 R. o. MURRAY 2,694,439

DENTAL CHAIR IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE STOOL Filed June 25, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor RON RLD o. MURRAY Attorney United States Patent DENTAL CHAIR IN COMBINATION WITH A HORIZONTALLY ADJUSTABLE STOOL Ronald Owen Murray, East Ashling, England Application June 25, 1951, Serial No. 233,404

Claims priority, application Great Britain June 27, 1950 3 Claims. (Cl. 155-81) This invention relates to equipment for use with dental or barbers chairs, that is to say chairs of the kind used by dentists or of the kind used by barbers when operating upon their patients or customers.

The invention is particularly applicable to dental chairs and for convenience, therefore, in the present specification it will be assumed to be applied to or used with such a chair although it may, as stated, be applied to or used with a barbers chair.

Various forms of stool have been proposed to allow a dentist to be seated while he is operating upon his patients but those so far devised have limitations which have largely prevented their adoption and limited their use.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved form of stool or like seat for use with, or combined with, a dental chair in which the stool or like seat will not be subject to some of the limitations of previously proposed stools and will generally meet to a large degree the requirements of such a stool or seat both as regards enabling a dentist occupying it to place and maintain himself in the best position and as regards enabling changes of position to be quickly and easily accomplished.

For convenience stools or like seats for use by dentists in the manner referred to will herein be referred to as dental stools.

An adjustable dental stool according to the present in vention for use with a dental chair comprises an inner arm having means for supporting it from its inner end in a manner permitting it to pivot about a vertical axis adjacent to the dental chair, and an outer arm one end of which is pivotally connected to the outer end of the inner arm so as to be capable of pivoting about a vertical axis relatively to the inner arm, while its other end supports a stool seat.

Preferably the arrangement is such that the pivotal axis about which the inner end of the inner arm pivots is as near as possible to the vertical axis about which the dental chair, with which the stool is used can be rotated. Thus the arrangement may be such that the pivotal axis about which the inner end of the inner arm pivots lies close to the pillar or cylinder on which the dental chair is usually supported in a bodily rotatable manner.

Preferably resilient means are provided which apply a continuous light force tending to rock the outer arm relatively to the inner arm in a direction towards the dental chair so that there is always a tendency for the stool seat to move towards the chair.

The stool seat may be supported on a relatively long vertical pillar so that the stool is high in relation to the dental chair, that is to say is so disposed that a person seated thereon will be in a suitable position to operate upon a patient with the dental chair in its normal more or less upright position. The stool will preferably be vertically adjustable upon its support within whatever limits may be found desirable.

Further one or other of the arms or the two arms jointly, or the pivotal connection between the arms preferably carries a platform or rest arranged to support foot-operated control switch apparatus of the usual type used with power operated dental equipment and/or to form a support for one foot of a person seated upon the stool seat.

In addition a rigid horizontal foot rest, for example in the form of a crescent-shaped bar, is preferably provided 2,694,439 Patented Nov. 16, 1954 chair base and arranged to be supported from the base of the dental chair and so disposed as to be readily engaged by one foot of a person seated on the stool seat and thus to act both as a foot rest and to assist the dentist to steady himself and keep control while changing or maintaining his position when operating upon a patient.

The details of construction of a dental stool assembly according to the invention may vary considerably but one construction according to the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the stool as applied to a dental chair from one angle and in one position,

Figure 2 is a plan view of the stool in the position shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a similar view to Figure 1 showing the stool from another angle and in another position.

Figure 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing certain details of construction of the stool-supporting assembly, and

Figure 5 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale showing the height-adjusting mechanism of the stool.

In the construction illustrated the stool assembly comprises a base plate A of annular form the inner circumferential edge of which fits beneath the usual circular base B of a dental chair indicated generally at B and is rigidly secured to the chair base and floor. The base plate A is formed with a part which projects beyond the circumference of the chair base at the back, say about 6 inches, giving the base plate, for example, a generally pear-shaped form as seen in plan view, and to this projection is fixed a strong bracket A the end A of which carries a vertical pivot pin C lying close to the cylinder B of the chair on which the chair seat is mounted to revolve in the normal manner. The bracket A can either be bolted or welded to the base plate A. Rotatably mounted by means of roller or ball bearings on the pivot pin C is a sleeve D having rigidly connected to it a radially extending inner arm D of strong tubular form. Formed or mounted on the outer end of the inner arm D is a fork D to which is pivotally connected the inner end of an outer tubular arm E by means of a vertical pivot E so that the outer arm can rock relatively to the inner arm about the pivot E The rocking movement of the arm E about the pivot E may be limited, for example, to an angle of about 70 whereas the arm D can rock about the pivot C through an angle of considerably more than thus enabling the stool seat G to occupy a position relatively to the chair anywhere within a wide range.

The outer arm E has formed integral with its outer end a vertical pillar F on the upper end of which is supported a stool seat G, this stool seat conveniently being fixedly mounted upon a screwthreaded post G engaging a screwthreaded bore or socket in the upper end of the pillar F and having radial arms G rigid therewith to effect adjustment of the seat as to height, while a locking device G in the form of a screw-threaded member engaging a screw-threaded bore in the pillar F and adapted to bear against the post G vided to enable the post G of the stool seat G to be locked in any desired position of vertical adjustment.

A light tension spring H may extend between anchorages H H respectively on the arms D and E so as to tend to draw the pillar F and stool seat G always in to- Wards the chair B The pivot pin by which the arm E is pivoted to the arm D is rigid with the arm E and rotatable in the fork D and has rotatably mounted on its upper end, which projects above the fork, a sleeve J to the upper end of which is rigidly secured a platform I of oblong form which acts both as a support for switching apparatus of the usual foot-operated type diagrammatically indicated at K as used by dentists to control their power operated equipment, and as a rest for one foot of a person seated on the stool seat G.

The platform I is formed with a raised rim J to facilitate location and prevent displacement of such switching apparatus. A locking device J is preferably provided within that pillar is prowhereby the platform I can be locked in any desired position of adjustment relatively to the pivot E and therefore relatively to the arm E.

Projecting from the base plate A at spaced points at what is normally one side of the chair B are two lugs A from which extend upwards two short pillars L on the upper ends of which is supported a curved rail L extending partially around the chair base B at a suitable height to enable a person occupying the stool seat G to rest a foot thereon.

Thus a person seated upon the stool seat G can rest one foot upon the end of the platform not occupied by the switching apparatus K and the other foot on the rail L thus enabling him not only to operate without undue fatigue but to steady himself and readily alter position as may be necessary.

It will be seen that with an adjustable stool assembly according to the invention a dentist can be seated in a suitable position for operating upon his patients with the dental chair in the normal more or less vertical position, can swing himself bodily circumferentially around the chair as may be desired, and can move himself towards and away from the chair in whatever circumferential position he occupies. He can thus adjust his position readily to suit the needs of the operation he is performing.

In addition the platform and the rigid foot rest not only form supports for his feet, thus avoiding unnecessary fatigue but also assist in enabling him to steady and position himself as may be required.

In a modification according to the invention, the base plate A may constitute an integral part of the base of the chair while in a further modification the support A and/ or the pillars L may be secured as by screwing directly to the floor.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An adjustable dental stool or like seat in combination with a dental chair, comprising an inner arm, pivotal means supporting the inner end of the inner arm from its inner end in a manner permitting it to swing about a vertical axis, adjacent to the dental chair, an outer arm one end of which is pivotally connected to the outer end of the inner arm 'so as to be capable of swinging about a vertical axis relatively thereto, a rigid horizontal foot rest supported from and lying at least partially around the base of the dental chair with which the stool is associated and forming a rest for one foot of an occupant of the stool seat.

2. An adjustable dental stool or like seat for use with a dental chair comprising an inner arm, pivotal means supporting the inner end of the inner arm from its inner end in a manner permitting it to swing about a vertical axis adjacent to the dental chair, an outer arm one end of which is pivotally connected to the outer end of the inner arm so as to be capable of swinging about a vertical axis relatively thereto, a stool or like seat supported from the outer end of the outer arm, a platform carried by the assembly comprising the inner and outer arms and adapted to form a support for one foot of an occupant of the stool or like seat, and a horizontal foot rest supported from abase plate secured to said pivot means adapted to underlie the dental chair so as to at least partially surround the base of the dental chair and constitute a rest for the other foot of an occupant of the stool or like seat.

3. An adjustable dental stool as claimed in claim 2 in which the foot rest is in the form of a curved bar adapted to lie parallel to the floor to which the base plate is adapted to be secured.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 972,472 Riebe Oct. 11, 1910 1,379,263 Jellinek May 24, 1921 1,566,161 Moore Dec. 15, 1925 2,449,385 Johnson Sept. 14, 1948 2,521,031 Alspaugh Sept. 5, 1950 2,596,561 Johnson et a1. May 13, 1952 

